Mechanism for producing rotary output motion with harmonic displacement characteristics



1968 .1. M. STEINKE MECHANISM FOR PRODUCING R ARY OUTPU WITH HARMONICDISPLACEM CHARACTE Filed Dec. 19, 1965 T MOTION RISTICS 7 l0Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR JAMES M. s'rsmmz ms anonusvs Oct. 29, 1968 J. M.STEINKE MECHANISM FOR PRO DUCING ROTARY OUTPUT MOTIO WITH HARMONICDISPLACEMENT CHARACTERISTICS Filed Dec. 19, 1966 l0 Sheets-Sheet 2 FIG.2'

FIG. 6

INVENTOR JAMES M. STEINKE K0 5% HIS ATTORNEYS Oct. 29, 1968 J. M.STEINKE 3,407,678

MECHANISM FOR PRODUCING ROTARY OUTPUT MOTION WITH HARMONIC DISPLACEMENTCHARACTERISTICS Filed Dec. 19, 1966 10 Sheets-Sheet :5

INVENTOR JAMES M. STEINKE ms ATTORNEY Oct. 29, 1968 J. M. STEINKE3,407,678

MECHANISM FOR PRODUCING ROTARY OUTPUT MOTION WITH HARMONIC DISPLACEMENTCHARACTERISTICS I Filed Dec 19, 1966 10 Sheets-Sheet 4 I34J Q INVENTORJAMES M. STEINKE 0) g 06; 1 l4 ms ATTORNEYS v 3,407,678 DUCING ROTARYOUTPUT MOTION SPLACEMENT CHARACTERISTICS l0 Sheets-Sheet 6 FIG. 80

INVENTOR HIS ATTORNEYS J. M. STEINKE PRO FIG. 8

MECHANISM FOR WITH HARMONIC DI INPUT' ROTATION Oct. 29, 1968 Filed Dec.

R w M m s I1 n f .v m 4 m A if a 3 0 v -Q\ OXM X m f7// M m m Q y T. m 4vm A m I W & B m

-A MAX Oct. 29, 1968 J. M. STEINKE MECHANISM FOR PRO DUCING ROTARYOUTPUT MOTIO WITH HARMONIC DISPLACEMENT CHARACTERISTICS Filed Dec. 19,1966 10 Sheets-Sheet 7 ROTATION FIG. ll

OUTPUT OUTPUT INVENTOR JAMES M. STEINKE HIS ATTORNEYS J M. STEINKE3,407,678

MECHANISM FOR PREDDUCING ROTARY OUTPUT MOTIO WITH HARMONIC DISPLACEMENTCHARACTERISTICS Filed Dec. 19. 1966 10 Sheets-Sheet 8 INVENTOR JAMES M.STEINKE HIS ATTORNEYS Oct. 29, 1968 J. M. STEINKE 3,407,578

MECHANISM FOR PRODUCING ROTARY OUTPUT MOTION WITH HARMONIC DISPLACEMENTCHARACTERISTICS Filed Dec. 19, 1966 10 Sheets-Sheet 9 340 FIG. l6

INPUT M ZERO Q 9 OLEJTPUT ME INPUTQ FROM REST v TRACE OF 1 PATH c I(OUTPUT) I Z X 1 I I 384 s82- LJ/ f I/ I I X TRAGE OF INVENTOR PATH Q(INPUT) S M. 380

HIS ATTORNEYS Oct. 29, 1968 J. M. STEINKE 3,407,678

MECHANISM FOR PRODUCING ROTARY OUTPUT MOTION WITH HARMONIC DISPLACEMENTCHARACTERISTICS Filed Dec. 19, 1966 10 Sheets-Sheet 10 20 FIG. 20

9+ INPUT F v 442* 30" s I A I T T mvemon as. JAMES M. STEINKE X HISATTORNEYS United States Patent ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A drivemechanism which converts an input of constant rotary motion to an outputof intermittent rotary motion is shown in three different embodiments,all using crank members. The crank members are rotated by belt,epicyclic, and hypocyclic connections to alter the constant rotary inputto produce a dwell in the output shaft of the mechanism.

This invention, relates to input data equipment, and more particularlyit relates to a drive mechanism for a card feed mechanism employed in aninput data machine such as a high-speed punched card reader whichprovides input data to a computer system.

Recent developments in electronic digital computers have greatlyincreased the speeds at which the computers perform their internaloperations. Often, the total computation time is governed and limited bythe rate at which input data is fed into the computer. While magnetictapes and drum inputs have facilitated the entry of data into thecomputer system, much of the data fed into such systems is still in theform of punched tabulating cards.

7 In an effort to reduce the time during which the computer must waitfor input data to be fed to it from punched cards, the card feedmechanism shown herein was developed, so that cards could mosteffectively be fed to aread station Where, upon proper command from thecomputer, all of the data in the card could be simultaneously .read andfed to the computer. By this construction, the time for feeding theinput data to the computer is greatly reduced over the existing punchedcard readers which employ sensing means which serially read rows ofinformation from the punched cards as they are moved thereby. However,when all the data in the card is being read at once, special problemsarise in the handling of the cards because each card must be fed to areading station where all of the data in the card is in readingrelationship therewith, and then the card is momentarily stopped duringthe actual reading period. Reading all the data in the card at onceenables the data to be rearranged, if necessary, at the time it is fedinto the computer, without the use of complicated intermediate storagedevices such as butter. registers.

The drive mechanism of the present invention is used with a card feedmechanism which in turn utilizes a conveyor-like endless feed band whichis movably supported and intermittently driven in one direction under acard feed hopper. The feed band is provided with picker knives which aredimensioned so as to engage only the bottomcard in the hopper :and arespaced along the feed band so as to receive the card between twoadjacent picker knives and move it to the read station.

The feed band is driven by the drive means of this invention, whichsubject each card to a gradual acceleration when the card is removedfrom the card feed hopper and a gradual deceleration as the card ismomentarily brought to a stop at the read station where the datacontained therein is read. The drive means produce varying intermittentrotary motion output from a constant rotary motion input to drive theconveyor as mentioned above.

ice

Accordingly, a primary object of this invention is to produce a drivemechanism for a high-speed, card-feed mechanism which is especiallyadaptable for transporting punched cards from a feed hopper to anoperative station, such as a read station, at which station the cardsare precisely and momentarily stopped to be read and from which stationthe cards are subsequently moved to a stacker pocket.

Another object of this invention is to provide a drive mechanism for ahigh-speed card-feed mechanism which is especially adaptable fortransporting punched cards from a hopper to a read station whichprovides input data to a computer system, the read station being such asto simultaneously read all the information in the card so as to minimizethe time during which the computer is detained in receiving suchinformation.

Another object of this invention is to provide a drive mechanism for ahigh-speed card-feed mechanism which transports the punched cards from afeed hopper to an operative station while subjecting the cards to aminimum of extreme accelerating and decelerating forces.

A further object of this invention is to provide an improvedharmonic-motion-type drive mechanism which is especially adaptable foruse in a high-speed card feed mechanism.

Another object of this invention is to provide an improved mechanicalsumming device which produces intermittent rotary motion from acontinuous constant rotary input.

These and other objects and advantages of this invention will becomemore readily understood in connection with the following description andthe drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the card feed mechanism with which thedrive mechanism of this invention is used, showing, generally, the cardfeed hopper, the read station, the conveyor for transporting cards tothe read station, the drive mechanism for driving the conveyor, and thestacker pocket for receiving cards which have been read;

FIG. 2 is a plan view of the top of the card feed mechanism shown inFIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view in elevation taken along the line 3--3of FIG. 2, showing details of the feed hopper, the read station, and theconveyor;

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view in elevation, taken along the line L-4of FIG. 3, showing details of the stacker pocket for receiving the cardsfrom the read station, the reading head at the read station, and theconveyor belt;

FIG. 5 is a plan view of the top of the card feed mechanism showing oneembodiment of the driving means for driving the conveyor, and alsoshowing the read station; the card feed hopper being omitted from thisdrawing to show the picker blades on the conveyor;

FIG. 6 is an elevational view, partly in section and taken along theline 66 of FIG. 5, showing details of the means for mounting and drivingthe feed band;

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of one embodiment of the driving means forproducing intermittent rotary motion for driving the conveyor belt;

FIG. 8 is an elevational view, partly in section and taken along theline 88 of FIG. 1, showing more details of the driving means shown inFIG. 7;

FIG. 8a is a plan view, partly in section and taken along the line 8a-8aof FIG. 8, showing more details of the drive mechanism;

FIG. 9 is an elevational view, partly in section and taken along theline 99 of FIG. 3, showing details of the read station;

FIG. 10 is a plan view, similar to FIG. 5, of another modification ofthe conveyor belt of this invention, showing a belt formed of aplurality of sections joined to- 3. gether, each section having thereinan array of holes which are in registration with the holes of a fullypunched tabulating card when the card is placed thereon;

FIG. 11 is an elevational view of a geometrical model similar to theembodiment of the intermittent rotary drive mechanism shown principallyin FIG. 7;

FIG. 12 is a graph showing the relationship of velocity, acceleration,and output with regard to input and output rotations of the drivemechanism shown principally in FIG. 7;

FIG. 13 is a perspective view of a second embodiment of the drivingmeans for producing intermittent rotary motion for driving the conveyorbelt;

FIG. 14 is an elevational view of the second embodiment of the drivemechanism taken along the line 1414 of FIG. 13

FIG. 15 is an elevational view of the front of the drive mechanism shOWnin FIG. 13;

FIG. 16 is an elevational view, partly in cross section, taken along theline 1616 of FIG. 15, showing more details of the drive mechanism;

FIG. 17 is a geometrical model of the second embodiment of the drivingmeans shown principally in FIG. 13;

FIG. 18 is a geometrical model similar to FIG. 17 but somewhat enlargedand showing the links in a different position;

FIG. 19 is an elevational view of a third embodiment of the drivingmeans for producing intermittent rotary motion for driving the conveyorbelt;

FIG. 20 is a cross-sectional view of the driving means shown in FIG. 19and is taken along the line 20-20 thereof; and

FIG. 21 is a geometrical model of the third embodiment of the drivingmeans shown in FIGS. 19 and 20.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the card feed mechanism 20 with whichthe drive mechanism 28 of this invention is used. The card feedmechanism is composed of several basic elements, which are the cardinput feed hopper 22, the read station 24, the conveyor means 26 fordelivering the cards to be read from the hopper 22 to and from the readstation 24, the drive mechanism 28 for driving the conveyor, and thecard-receiving pocket 30 for receiving the cards from the read station24.

The card feed hopper 22 is of standard size to receive standard punchedtabulating cards, and the hopper is secured to the feed table 32 byfasteners 34, as seen in FIGS. 1 and 2. There is sufficient clearancebetween the bottom of the hopper 22 and the feed table 32 to permit thefeed band 36 to pass therebetween.

The feed table 32 is provided with a pair of spaced parallel grooves 38(FIG. 2), which are aligned with the sprocket driving holes 40 in thefeed band 36, so that they will pass thereover. Another groove 42 in thefeed table 32 interconnects the parallel grooves 38 and is connected toa vacuum line 44, shown in FIG. 3, which in turn is connected to asource of vacuum (not shown). When cards are placed in the hopper 22,the lowest card in the hopper is brought into close contact with thefeed band 36 due to the air being withdrawn through holes 40, whichprovides contact-producing forces in addition to the weight of the cardsabove the lowest one.

The feed band 36 is best shown in FIG. 5, in which the read station 24and the feed hopper 22 are omitted to facilitate the showing of the feedband 36. In one embodiment, the feed band 36 itself is made of atransparent, flexible, durable plastic, such as Mylar, which isperforated along its edges, to provide aligned spaced driving sprocketholes 40. The feed band 36 may be made from a strip having its ends 46and 48 abutting under a picker blade 50.

The picker blades 50 are mounted in spaced parallel relationship on thefeed band 36 at right angles to its lateral edges, so as to receive thewidth of a standard tabulating card between any two adjacent pickerblades 50. These blades also may be made of plastic or Mylar 4 when thebelt itself is made of such material, and they are secured to the feedband 36 by suitable adhesives.

The blades have a thickness which is less than the thickness of atabulating card to insure that only one card will be taken from thelower side of the feed hopper 22 when the feed band 36 passesthereunder. The side of the hopper 22 which is adjacent to thereadstation 24 is provided with a suitable, adjustable, throat-knifemechanism, designated generally as 52 (FIG. 3 which permits only onecard at a time to be taken from the hopper via the feed band 36. Thepickerblades 50 for the feed band 36 are notched at 53 (FIG. 5) toprovide clearance for the tines 74 (FIG. 3) of the driving sprocket 72,which pass through the holes 40.

FIGS. 2, 3, 5, and 6 show the means for mounting the feed band 36 in thecard feed mechanism. In order to eliminate some of the inertia of themechanism, the feed band 36 is mounted to slide over stationarycylinders 54 (FIG. 3) and 56 (FIG. 6), which are secured to the feedtable 32 by screws 58, as shown inFIG. 3. The cylinder 54 extends forthe full width of the feed band 36, as shown in FIG. 5; however, thecylinder 56, as shown in FIG. 6, does not extend across the full widthof the feed band 36 but is made shorter to accommodate the drivingsprockets 72, as will be explained later.

The cylinder 56, shown in FIG. 6, has a hole 60 extending axiallytherethrough, and at each of the extremities of the hole 60 the cylinder56 is provided with an annular shoulder 62, against which a suitablebearing and support member 64 abuts. The member 64 is secured to thecylinder 56 by screws 66 to concentrically support a shaft 68 forrotation in the hole 60. The outer extremities of the shaft 68 aresmaller in diameter than its central portion to provide shoulders 70,which abut against the pertaining bearing and support members 64 tothereby restrain the shaft 68 against axial movement in the cylinder 56.

The driving sprockets 72 are secured to the reduced diameter portions ofthe shaft 68 outwardly of the bearing and support members 64 by suitablekeys 73. The sprockets 72 are spaced apart on the shaft 68 to enable thetines 74 on the sprockets 72 to enter the sprocket driving holes 40 onthe feed band 36 in driving engagement therewith.

One end of the shaft 68 is detachably secured to an output shaft 76(FIGS. 5 and 6) by a connector 78. The output shaft 76 is driven by thedrive mechanism 28, which will be discussed in detail later. The drivemechanism 28 is effective to deliver intermittent rotary motion to theoutput shaft 76, which in turn drives the feed band 36.

The driving sprockets 72 rotate counter-clockwise (as viewed in FIG. 3)to move the feed band 36 under the feed hopper 22, where the lowest cardof a stack of cards 80 is forced onto the hand between a pair ofadjacent picker blades 50. As the feed band 36 moves, the card justremoved from the hopper 22 is moved to the read station 24. The drivemechanism 28, which rotates the sprockets 72 to move the feed band 36,is also effective to move the feed band 36 at a variable speed and alsoto cause the band to dwell, so that the card removed from the hopper 22onto the feed band 36 stops momentarily under the read station 24, whereit is read. The drive mechanism 28, in connection with the feed band 36,is effective to move the card to and stop it at the read station inproper registration with the read station 24 without the aid ofadditional stops.

The read station 24 utilizes photoelectric means to simultaneously readall columns of data in the punched card which is waiting momentarilyunder the read station to be read upon a signal from the computer orother device which is to receive the data. Usually, the computer orother device which receives the data operates at such high speeds thatit is always ready to receive the data from the cards, and, therefore,the feed band 36 can operate continuously, repeating the process ofpositioning and momentarily stopping the card under the read station 24.The card feed mechanism is effective to feed cards at rates up toapproximately twelve hundred cards per minute. After being read, thecard is moved from the read station 24 by the feed band 36 to thecard-receiving pocket 30, where the cards which have been read arecollected.

The receiving pocket 30, shown principally in FIG. 3, is of standardconstruction and includes the usual deflector fingers 82 and deflectorplate 84, which guide the card between a feed roller 86 anddiscs 88.Upon leaving the feed roller 86 and the discs 88, the card passes adeflector 90 and a pocket card guide 92, which direct the cardsdownwardly, where they come to rest upon a card reception plate 94,which is supported on a plate support tube 96. As the load of cards 98on the plate 94 increases, the plate support tube 96 descends tocompress a spring 100. A pressure bridge 102, mounted on cross bars 104and a shaft 106, on which the discs 88 are mounted, varies the contactpressure of the discs 88 on the feed roller 86, between which the cardsare fed.

Tension on the feed band 36 is obtained through use of a weight 108(FIG. 3), which has an arcuate surface in sliding contact withsubstantially the entire width of the feed band 36. The weight 108 issupported by two arms 110, only one of which arms is shown in FIG. 3 andwhich arms are pivotally secured at their lower ends to opposed sides ofthe weight 108. The upper ends of the arms 110 are pivotally secured toopposed sides of the stationary cylinder 54.

The shaft 106 and the feed roller 86, shown in FIG. 3, are rotatablysupported in suitable bearings 114 (FIG. 1), which are secured to frontand rear frame support plates 116 and 118, respectively, which in turnare secured to a side plate 120 (FIG. 1), which is secured to a rearwall plate 122.

The discs 88 are fixed to rotate with the shaft 106, which has a drivepulley 124 fixed to one end thereof, as shown in FIG. 2. A suitable belt126 drivingly connects the pulley of a motor 130 with the drive pulley124 to rotate the discs 88. A mounting plate 132 is used to secure themotor 130 to the rear wall plate 122 and the frame rear plate 118.

The details of the read station 24 using photoelectric means are shownin FIGS. 3 and 9. The feed table 32 is provided with an opening 134,through which light from a flash tube 136 may pass when the flash tubeis energized. The flash tube 136 is secured in position by mountingbrackets 138, which are fastened to supports 140 (FIG. 9) depending fromthe feed table 32. A suitable light shield 142 is used to confine thelight within the opening 134. The flash tube 136 is of the xenon type,which is similar to a strobe light, and is energized by suitableexternal circuitry connected with the computer or device to which thedata in the cards is fed. 7

At the time that the flash tube 136 is energized, a punched card bearingthe information to be read is positioned over the opening 134 in properregistration with the read head 144. Suitable guides 146 (FIG. 9) aresecured to the feed table 32 to maintain the card to be read and thefeed band 36 in proper registration with the read head 144 in thedirection of the width of the feed band 36. The card being read ismaintained on the feed band 36 between two adjacent picker blades 50',and the drive mechanism is effective to position the card to be read inproper registration with the read head 144 along the length of the feedband 36.

With the card on the feed band 36 in proper registration with the readhead 144, and with a signal from the computer, the flash tube 136 isenergized, and light therefrom passes up through the opening 134 in thefeed table, through the punched holes in the card being read, and to theread head 144.

The read head 144 is made of a layer of glass which is opaque to lightexcept for a plurality of window area's areas 148 are arranged in theread head 144 in an array which permit light to pass therethrough. Thesewindow which is identical to the array of rows and columns of areasavailable for punching in a standard tabulating card. When a punchedcard is positioned in proper registration under the read head 144, andthe flash tube is energized, light passes through the feed band 36,through the holes in the punched card, and through the pertaining windowareas 148 in the read head 144. Each window is provided with aphoto-responsive means which can generate a signal when light isreceived thereby.

In the embodiment shown, the side of the read head 144 which is oppositeto the card being read has a thin layer of photoconductive materialthereon. This photoconductive material is formed into discrete areas150, FIG. 3, with one such area convering each window area 148 of theread head 144. Contact leads such as 152 are used to individuallyconnect each such discrete area with the computer or external device towhich the information is fed. Thus, when a hole is present in the cardbeing read, the light passes through the: feed band 36, the pertaininghole in the card, and the pertaining window area 148 to the particulardiscrete area 150 of photoconductive material to generate an electricalsignal therein. By this arrangement, all the holes in the card aresimultaneously read to produce individual signals for each holeappearing therein.

FIG. 10 shows another embodiment of the feed band used in thisinvention, in which the belt, designated generally as 154, is made frommetal, such as stainless steel which is approximately .003 inch thick.The belt 154 is made of a plurality of sections 156, which have thereinholes 157, which are formed in the pattern of a fully punched tabulatingcard with which the belt 154 is used. The joining edges 158 and 160 ofthe individual adjacent sections 156 are secured to a common pickerblade 162, which performs the dual function of joining the sections 156and also of acting as a picker blade for transporting the punched cards.

When the belt 154 is used, the feed table 32 is provided with a groove164 (FIG. 10), which is located centrally of the belt passing thereover.The groove 164 communicates with the vacuum line 44 (shown in FIG. 3) toassist in the transfer of cards from the feed hopper 22 to the belt 154.

Intermittent rotary drive mechanism FIGS. 5 to 8 and 8a show oneembodiment of the drive mechanism of this invention, which is designatedgenerally as 28. The drive mechanism 28 is essentially a mechanicalsumming-up device which utilizes a continuous uniform-speed input toproduce variable-speed intermittent rotary output. This input is used toprovide two separate motion components; one component remains a constantrotational motion, and the second generates a motion very similar toharmonic motion. Both of these motions are algebraically added togetherby the drive mechanism 28 to produce usable, variable-speed,intermittent output motion having specific characteristics at the outputshaft 76. The intermittent rotary drive mechanism 28 is:

(a) A novel harmonic motion generator whose displacement, velocity, andaccelerations are coincident at azero point.

(b) A low-cost, mechanical device comprising rotating componentsproducing intermittent rotary motion from an input of constant, uniformrotation.

(c) A motion-generating device whose output is instantaneously at rest,increases in speed according to harmonic motion characteristics,achieves an instantaneous value twice that of the input velocity, andreturns to the instantaneous zero velocity according to harmonic motioncharacteristics.

Referring to FIGS. 5 to 8 and 8a, the drive mechanism 28 comprises aninput motor 166, whose output shaft 168 (FIG. 5) is connected to aclutch 170. The

output shaft 172 (FIG. 8) of the clutch 170 is rotatably supported in asleeve-type bearing 174, which is supported in a planar support member176, which is part of the housing 178 of the drive mechanism 28.

The output shaft 172 (FIG. 8) of the clutch 170 drives a dual input gear180, which is fixed at one side to rotate therewith. The other side ofthe input gear 180 is provided with an annular recess 182, which isconcentric with the shaft 172. A bearing 184 (which is rotatablysupported on a stub shaft 186) is inserted in the recess 182 torotatably support the input gear 180. The stub shaft 186 is secured tothe planar support member 188 of the housing 178.

The dual input gear 180 has a large spur gear 190 and a small spur gear192 formed thereon, as shown most clearly in FIGS. 7, 8, and 811. Anendless, timing, chaintype belt 194 passes over the large spur gear 190to drive the cranks 196 and 198. These cranks 196 and 198 are identical,and each has a shaft 200, which is rotatably mounted in bearings 202 and204, respectively, which bearings are mounted in the planar supportmember 176. Each shaft 200 of the cranks 196 and 198 passes through anaperture adjacent one end of the belt-tensioning brackets 206, which arelocated next to the planar support member 176 (FIG. 7). Each bracket 206is provided with a belt-tensioning roller 208, whose axis of rotation isparallel to the axis of rotation of the dual input gear 180. The bracket206 is also provided with an arcuate slot 209 (FIG. 7), through which anadjusting screw 211 passes. By pivoting the brackets 206 about theirlower ends, through which the shafts 200 pass, the tensioning rollers208 provide for an adjustment in the tension of the belt 194, and thebrackets are locked in the adjusted positioning by tightening theadjusting screws 211.

The belt 194 drives the gear 210 (FIG. 8a) of each of the cranks 196 and198, and each gear 210 is concentric with its shaft 200. Each crank 196and 198 is provided with an eccentrically-positioned crank shaft 212(FIG. 8a), on which a bearing 214 is mounted. A gear 216 is thenrotatably mounted on the bearing 214 and is separated from the gear 210by a flange 218, which is integrally formed on the respective crank (196and 198).

Each of the cranks 196 and 198 is provided with a second shaft 220 (FIG.8a), which is concentric with the shaft 200 and which is rotatablymounted in a bearing 222, which in turn is mounted in an annular recessin the planar support member 188 to thereby support the crank.

The output shaft 76 of the drive mechanism 28 is rotatably supported inbearings 224 and 226 (FIG. 8) and is provided with a flange 228, whichabuts against the bearing 226 to restrain axial movement of the shaft inone direction. The shaft 76 is restrained against axial movement in theopposite direction by a shoulder 230, on the shaft 76, which abutsagainst the bearing 224. An output gear 232 is positioned against theflange 228 and is secured to the shaft 76, to rotate therewith, by ascrew 234.

The axes of the shafts 172, 200, and 76 (FIGS. 8 and 8a) are parallel toone another, and the axes of the shafts 200 for the cranks 196 and 198are equidistantly spaced from the axes of the output shafts 172 and 76.In the specific embodiment shown, the input gear 192, the gears 216 onthe cranks 196 and 198, and the output gear 232 all have the same numberof teeth and pitch diameter (FIGS. 7 and 8a). A timing, chain-type belt236 is used to interconnect the input gear 192, the gears 216, and theoutput gear 232, as shown in FIG. 7.

When the drive mechanism 28 is driven, the output shaft 172 (FIG. 8) ofthe clutch 170 rotates both the large input gear 190 and the small inputgear 192 at a constant rpm. The belt 194, in turn, rotates the cranks196 and 198 at a constant r.p.m. As these cranks rotate the crank shafts212 (on which the gears 216 are rotatably mounted), the gears 216 arealso rotated at a con- 8 stant rate with respect to the axis of rotationof the shafts 200.

As previously stated, the small input gear 192 is rotated at a constantrate and is used to drive the belt 236. The belt 236 engages the teethof the input gear 192, the output gear 232, and the gears 216, as shownin FIG. 7. The cranks 196 and 198 are aligned so that identical pointson the cranks will bear the same angular relationship to an imaginaryline joining the axes of rotation of the shafts 220 as these cranks arerotated :by the belt 194. The gears 216 rotate on the crank shafts 212as the cranks 196 and 198 are rotated.

If the cranks 196 and 198 (FIG. 7) were to remain stationary and onlythe 'belt 236 were to be driven, then the gears 216 would simply rotateon the eccentric shafts 212, and the output delivered to the output gear232 would be simply constant rotary motion, the same as the inputmotion. Also, if the input gear 192 were uncoupled from the large inputgear 190, so that the input gear 192 could rotate freely with respect tothe shaft 172, and if the cranks 196 and 198 alone were driven, then themotion imparted to the output gear 232 by the belt 236 would cause anoscillation of the output shaft 76. The oscillation would be simpleharmonic motion, and one complete rotation of the cranks 196 and 198would cause one oscillation of the output shaft 7 6. The number ofoscillations per complete revolution of the large input gear 190 wouldbe dependent upon the ratio of the number of teeth in the large inputgear 190 compared to the number of teeth in the gears 210 on the cranks196 and 198. The angular displacement of the output shaft 76 in turnwould be dependent upon the throw of the cranks 196 and 198, which foreach crank is the distance which the axis of the shaft 212 is offsetfrom the axis of rotation of the shaft 200.

However, when the drive mechanism is treated as a composite unit, theoutput shaft 76 (FIG. 7) senses the algebraic sum of the constant rotarymotionsupplied by the belt 236 from the small input gear 192 and thesimple harmonic motion generated by the cranks 196 and 198 via the belt194. By a proper combination of dimensions and spacing (to be describedlater) for the various elements in the drive mechanism, the desiredmotion characteristics are obtained at the output shaft 76 to drive thefeed band 36, which feeds the tabulating cards to the read station 24.

When a card is being fed to the read station 24, it is desirable tosubject the card to a gradual acceleration from the rest position in thefeed hopper 22 to maximum velocity while it is traveling on the feedband 36. The deceleration of the feed band 36 should also be gradualwhen the card carried thereby is brought to a stop under the readstation 24, where the card is read upon proper signal from the computeror other utilization device with which the read station is operativelyconnected. The drive mechanism 28 ofthis application is designed todrive the feed band 36 so as to produce such desired motion intransporting the cards while :still performing the feeding operation atrates up to approximately 1,200 cards per minute.

The drive mechanism 28 itself is utilized to position and stop the feedband 36 without the aid of additional stops, so that the cards carriedby the feed 'band 36 will be properly positioned under the read station24. In order to produce a dwell in the rotation of the output shaft 76of the drive mechanism, it is necessary at some point in its cycle tohave the components of constant velocity motion and harmonic motioncancel or offset each other, so as to produce the dwell or zero velocityin the output shaft 76.

This offsetting of motions is shown in the graph in FIG. 12, which showsa family of curves relating to the operating characteristics of thedrive mechanism 28. In this graph, the input rotation of the dual inputgear is plotted along the horizontal axis, and the output rotation ofthe output shaft 76 is plotted along the vertical axis. The value of thecomponent of constant uniform velocity -9. (marked U. V. on the curvemarked UNIFORM COM- PONENT) is equal and opposite to the value of thecomponent of harmonic motion (marked H. V. on the curve markedHARMONIC'COMPONENT) at degrees of input rotation, so that bothcomponents offset each other to produce 0 degrees of output rotation ofthe output shaft 76. Note, too, on FIG. 12, that the curves marked OUT-PUT VELOCITY, OUTPUT DISPLACEMENT, and OUTPUT ACCELERATION of the outputshaft 76 are all zero when the offsetting of motions, previouslymentioned, occurs at 0 degrees of output rotation. This graph will belater discussed in more detail in connection with the geometrical modelshown in FIG. 11, [from which certain formulas were obtained indesigning the drive mechanism 28.

The formulas for obtaining the relationships of the various elementsused in the drive mechanism 28 shown principally in FIG. 7 were derivedin connection with the geometrical model shown in FIG. 11.

In deriving the formulas, the following stipulations were made withregard to FIG. 11:

(1) The points M and N, which represent the rotational axes of thecranks, are equidistantly spaced from the axes of rotation of the INPUTand OUTPUT members.

(2) The crank arms R are equal in length and travel at the samesynchronized angular rate about their respective axes M and N relativeto a fixed line; line X, for example.

(3) The gears 192, 232, and 216, shown in FIG. 7, all have the samepitch diameter; the geometrical model does not shown such gears but usespoints marked as INPUT, OUTPUT, and M and N, respectively, asequivalents.

(4) The lengths A, B, C, D, and E of FIG. 11 represent changing lengthsof the belt drive means 236 between adjacent gears 192, 232, and 216, asshown in FIG. 7, as the crank arms R rotate counter-clockwise, as viewedin FIG. 11. t

(5') The geometrical model of FIG. 11 is shown with the crank arms Rrotating in a counter-clockwise direction, marked Q, and being displaced'at an angle a from line X.

From the geometrical model shown in FIG. 11, A, B, C, and D representchanging lengths of belt as the crank arms R rotate counter-clockwiseabout their centers M and N. When the crank arms R have rotated throughan angle a, the lengths of A, B, C, and D are derived from the geometryof FIG. 11 as follows:

Comparing the geometrical model to the mechanism shown in FIG. 7,the'points M and N represent the axes of rotation of the cranks 196 and198, which axes are the shafts 200 of the respective cranks 196 and 198.The shown in FIG. 11 represent the distances which the centers of theshafts 212 are displaced from the centers of the shafts 200 of therespective cranks 196 and 198. The INPUT, OUTPUT, and points V, U areshown merely as points on the geometrical model; however, in theembodiment shown in FIG. 7, these elements are shown as gears 192, 232,216, and 216, respectively, all having the same number of teeth andpitch diameter. It follows, then, that the length of the belt 236 shownin FIG. 7 is equal to the various lengths of the belt between thelast-named gears plus a length of belt necessary to travel aroundportions of the same four gears. As all of the four gears named aboveare of the same size, and as the belt engages one fourth of thecircumference of each gear, the length of the belt portion engaging allfour gears is equal to the circumference of one of the gears.

In the geometrical model shown in FIG. 11, the belt length (L) isobtained as follows:

in which S=the circumference of a gear or sprocket having a radius (r).

Continuing with the geometrical model, and rearranging the equation forthe belt length (L), the following expression evolved:

From the geometrical model of FIG. 11, an approximation of K in terms ofL and S was found by letting R=0.

For example, when R=0 in FIG. 11, the belt length A decreases until thepoint W on the extremity of the radius -R coincides with the point N.When the coincidence of the points W and N occurs, the length of Abecomes:

yields L-S=4K and, rearranging,

L S K T72 yields K=.176777 (L-S) By the above formula, an approximationof K is obtained when L and S are known. In actual practice, the aboveapproximation of K proved satisfactory in determining the crank radius(R) from the following derived in which r=the gear radius which is equalto the gear radius of the gears 192, 232, and 216 of FIG. 7.

The following calculation illustrates how the dimensions of the variouselements of the driving mechanism shown in FIG. 7 are determined:

( 1) Assume a belt length of (L)=10.000 inches.

(2) Assume large input gear having 34 teeth.

(3) Assume gears 192, 232, and 216 as having:

(a) radius (r)=.541 inch (b) circumference S=21rr=3.400 inches (c) 17teeth, /5 pitch. (4) Approximate the value of K from the formula:

K=.17677 (L-S) K=.l7677 (10000-1400) K=1.1667 inches. (5) Solve for R(the crank arm) from the formula:

(6) Determine the phase shift of the crank arm R for an angle 5 (notshown) with respect to the output shaft; this will be described later.The output shaft of the mechanism delivers inermittent rotary motionwith harmonic motion characteristics to transport the cards on the feedbelt as previously mentioned. To produce this output motion, theconstant rotary motion which. is delivered to the input shaft of thedrive mechanism is divided into two components. One component produces amotion of constant velocity; the other component produces a motionhaving harmonic motion characteristics.

In order to produce a dwell in the output shaft which will momentarilyposition and stop the conveyor so that a card carried thereby will bepositioned at the read station as previously explained, it is necessaryat some point to have the value of the constant uniform velocity motion(H. V. of FIG. 12) and the value of the harmonic velocity motion (U. V.)cancel or offset each other, as shown in FIG. 12.

In the geometrical model shown in FIG. 11, the olfsetting of motionsmentioned in the previous paragraph occurs when a is equal to ninetydegrees. In the physical embodiment shown in FIG. 7, the dwell in theoutput shaft 76 occurs when the cranks 196 and 198 are each rotatedninety degrees clockwise from the position shown, so that the axis ofeach shaft 212 lies directly above the axis of the respective crank 196and 198, as viewed in FIG. 7.

When the dwell in the output shaft 76 occurs, the card carried by thefeed band 36 is positioned at the read station 24. Upon proper commandfrom the computer or other utilization device with which the card readeris used, all the data in the card will be read simultaneously, asexplained previously. Upon completion of the reading operation, theclutch 170 is actuated, and the card feed mechanism positions the nextcard to be read at the read station 24. By the time this next card ispositioned at the read station 24, the computer is ready for reading it,so that the clutch 170, in essence, remains in the actuated state, andthe card feed mechanism alone continues to position the cards to be readat the read station 24. The means for actuating the clutch 170 isidentical to the means for actuating the clutch 170a, which is shown inFIG. 13 and which will be described later.

The OUTPUT VELOCITY curve (also shown in FIG. 12) for the output shaft76, which drives the feed band 36 in the card feed mechanism, indicatesthat the card being fed will be gradually accelerated from zero velocityat the card hopper 22 to a maximum OUTPUT VE- LOCITY of two times inputvelocity at ninety degrees of INPUT ROTATION, and then it will begradually decelerated until it comes to a stop under the read station24. By this construction, the cards being moved are subjected to aminimum of abrupt changes in velocity while still being fed at rates upto approximately 1,200 cards per minute.

The clutch 170 (FIG. is provided with means (to be later described) todisconnect the input motor 166 from the drive mechanism 28 when thedrive mechanism is in the dwell portion of its cycle. Once the drivemechanism 28 is energized, it alone Will accurately position the cardsbeing carried by the feed band 36 under the read station 24, one afteranother, to be read there.

FIG. 13 shows another embodiment of the drive mechanism of thisinvention, which is designated generally as 300,'and the clutch 170a,which will be later described in more detail.

The drive mechanism 300, in general terms, comprises frame means forrotatably mounting the input means, which are rotated at a constantrate. There are first connecting means, which operatively connect theinput means with the output means, which in turn are also rotatablymounted in said frame means. The first connecting means also includecrank members which are rotatably mounted thereon. There are also secondconnecting means, which operatively connect the crank members with thefirst connecting means. As the crank members are rotated, they areeffective to alter the motion delivered to the out-put means, so asto.produce zero velocity or a dwell at said output means at least oncefor a predetermined rotation of said input means. The output means areoperatively connected to the feed band 36 to drive it, and the dwellproduced is effective to position a card, being moved by thefeed band,under the read station 24.

The drive mechanism 300, shownin FIGS. 13 to 16 inclusive, receives itsconstant rotational input from the 12 output shaft 302 of the clutch a,which is similar to the clutch 170 except for the output shaft 302. Theshaft 302 is provided with a portion 304 (square in cross-section),which fits into a mating square recess on a tubular bearing member 306(FIG. 16).

The bearing member 306 has a reduced portion 307 (square incross-section), which fits into a mating recess 308 in a carrier 310 andabuts therein against a shoulder 312, as shown in FIG. 16. The end ofthe square portion 307 is flattened out to secure the carrier 310 to thebearing 306, which are both rotated by the shaft 302.

As the shaft 302 turns, it rotates the carrier 310 and the tubularbearing 306 at a constant rate; the bearing 306 rotates and is supportedin a hub 313 of a fixed gear 314. The hub of the fixed gear 314 isinserted in an opening 316 (FIG. 13) in a planar support member 1760 andis fixed against rotation therein by a pair of projections 318 on thesupport member 176a, which projections mate with a pair of complementarygrooves 320 diametrically positioned on the periphery of the hub 313 ofthe gear 314.

The carrier 310 has secured thereto a pair of generally arcuate, planarmembers 322, which are maintained in spaced parallel relation to oneside of the carrier 310 by spacers 324 and fasteners 326 (FIGS. 13 and15). The planar members 322 provide support for cranks 328 and 330 andfor 'gears 332 and 334 (FIG. 14), which operatively connect the cranks328 and 330, respectively, to the fixed gear 314.

The cranks 328 and 330 are identical, and each is provided with a shaft333, which is rotatably mounted in suitable openings in the carrier 310and the arcuate planar member 322, as particularly shown in FIG. 16. Agear 335 is fixed to rotate with the shaft 333, which is also providedwith suitable spacers to provide running clearance for the gear 335between the carrier 310 and the arcuate planar member 322.

Each gear 335 is so positioned on the carrier 310 as to be out of meshwith the teeth of the fixed gear 314. As mentioned earlier, each of thegears 335 for the cranks 328 and 330 utilizes a separate gear 332 and334, respectively, to operatively connect it with the fixed gear 314,the gears 335 being rotatably supported between the carrier 310 and thearcuate planar members 322.

When the clutch 170a is actuated, its shaft 302 rotates the carrier 310counter-clockwise (as viewed in FIG. 13) about the fixed gear 314. Asthe carrier310 rotates, the gears 332 and 334, carried thereby, arerotated and, in turn, drive the gears 335 of the cranks 328 and 330,respectively. Each of the shafts 333 of the cranks 328 and 330 isprovided with a clearance shoulder 338 (FIG. 16) and a reduced endportion 340 (square in cross-section), which is inserted into acomplementary square opening in one end of a crank arm 342 to therebyrotate the crank arm. Each of the crank arms 342 has an annular recess,into which a screw 344 is positioned to secure one end of the crank arm342 to the pertaining shaft 333.

The remaining end of each crank arm 342 is pivotally joined to one endof a separate drag link 346 by a pin 348, as shown in FIGS. 13 and 15.The remaining ends of the drag links 346 are pivotally secured toopposed ends of an output drive plate 350 by a pin 352. The drive plate350 is secured at a right angle to an output shaft 354, and its axislies on a line midway between the pins 352. The output shaft 354 issupported for rotation in a support member 356, as shown in FIGS. 13 and16, and it is in axial alignment with the shaft 302 of the clutch 170a.

The clutch 170a may be of a conventional type or of a type which has arotating shell 360, which rotates counter-clockwise, as viewed in FIG.13, to drive the clutch output shaft 302 when the clutch is energized.The clutch 170a is provided with a pair of equally-spaced abutment stops362 on its periphery, which are engaged by one leg 364 of a pawl 366,which is pivotally supported on a shaft 368 secured to a planar supportmember 370.

13 The remaining leg, 372, of the pawl 366 is spring-urged clockwise(FIG. 13).by a spring 374. i

. Whenever a group of cards is to ;be read, a solenoid 376 is energizedto drive an operating plunger 378 upwardly, as viewed in FIG. 13, tomove the pawl 366 counterclockwise, thereby disengaging the leg 364 fromthe abutment step 362, which in turn permits the input motor 166(FIG. 1) to drive the clutch 1700. As long as the pawl 366 is disengagedfrom the abutment stops 362, the clutch is effective to rotate theclutch shaft 302 at a constant rate counter-clockwise, as viewed in FIG.13, and the drive mechanisms disclosed herein are effective to convertconstant rotational input to intermittent variablespeed rotary motionoutput to drive the feed band 36, as previously explained. The drivemecahnism 300 is a mechanical motion summing device of two separatemotions, which are derived from a common source of constant rotationalinput (shaft302, FIG. 13). One of the motions is a constant rotarymotion supplied by the carrier 310 and linkage comprising the cranks 328and 330, the links 346, and the output drive plate 350. As long as thecranks are not rotated relative to the carrier 310, the output shaft 354will be driven at aconstant rate; however, when the cranks 328 and 330are driven by the coupling of the gears 335 to the fixed gear 314, themotion at the output shaft 354 becomes a variablespeed intermittentrotary motion with the necessary dwells for intermittently driving thefeed band 36, which positions the cards carried thereby under the readstation 24.

A geometrical description of the drive mechanism 300 is illustrated inthe geometrical model shown in FIG. 17. While the drive mechanism shownin FIGS. '13 to 16 inclusive is shown as having a stationary gear withexternal teeth, the mechanism could employ a stationary gear havinginternal teeth, with the gears driving the cranks in mesh with theinternal teeth.

There are certain relationships which exist among the various elementsshown in the geometrical model in FIG. 17 and the embodiment shown FIGS.13 to 16 inclusive. They are: r h (a) The pitch diameter of the fixedgear 314 (FIGS. 13 to 16 inclusive) is twice that of the planet gears332 and 334, which revolve around the fixed gear 314.

(b) The distance R (FIG. 17) may be any selected length and representsthe distance between the axes of rotation of the carrier 310 and thecrank arms 342 (FIGS. 13 to 16 inclusive).

(c) The distance r' (FIG. 17) is less than R but greater than zero andrepresents the length of the crank arms 342 (FIGS. 13 to 16 inclusive).

(d) The length T (FIG. 17) is equal to 21 and represents the length ofthe'drive plate 350 (FIGS. 13 to 16 inclusive) as measured between theaxes of the ontput shaft 354 and the pins 352.

(e) The length 8 (FIG. 17) is equal to /R --r and represents the lengthof the drag links 346 (FIGS. 13 to 16 inclusive).

f) The input and output shafts of FIG. 17 are located at M, and theinput shaft 302 and the output shaft 354 in the embodiment of FIGS. 13to 16 inclusive are on a common center line of rotation.

(g) The input carrier 310 (FIGS. 13 to 16 inclusive) is rotated at aconstant speed.

FIG. 17 is a geometrical model of the second embodiment of the drivemechanism 300, which is shown principally in FIG. 13, and, as previouslystated, the elements shown in FIG. 17 have counterparts in the physicalembodiment shown in FIG. 13. For example: as the input carrier R(carrier310) is rotated counter-clockwise, as viewed in FIG. 17, thecrank arm r (arm 342) is rotated clockwise about the outer end q of R;and the point Q, the input, will trace the elliptical path shown by thelong dash lines 380. After a certain angular rotation of the 14 inputcarrier R, the model shown in FIG. .17 will assume the generalconfiguration shown in FIG. 18.

The output of the drive mechanism (FIG. 17 is represented by the pointC, which travels in the circular pat-h shown by the short dash lines382. As the input carrier R an dthe smaller crank arm r are rotated, acondition will be reached during which the clockwise rotation of thecrank arm 1' will oppose or offset the counterclockwise rotationaleffect on the point C caused by the input carrier R. This offsetting ofmotions will cause the point C to become stationary or to dwell during aportion of a revolution of the input carrier R. This dwell is utilizedto stop the feed band 36, so that a card carried thereby will beaccurately positioned under the read head 24.

During the dwell or the time that the point C is stationary, the draglink S may be considered as rotating about the point C, as representedby the circular path 384 in FIG. 17. The extent of the dwell isdetermined by that succession of points defining a substantially commonpath (C-P) or are for the point Q as the point Q travels along theelliptical path 380 and the circular path 384, as shown in FIG. 17. Thiscommon path GP in FIG. 17 occurs for an angle of about thirty degrees ofinput rotation, and, during this time, the common portions of both theelliptical and circular paths mentioned match each other to within .001inch, which is well within the normal variables induced by practicalmachining tolerances of the parts involved in the actual embodimentshown in FIGS. 13 to 16 inclusive.

The continuation of the elliptical and circular curves above and belowthe range shown by the common path C-P of FIG. 17 indicates a smoothadvance into and away from the dwell position with a minimum of abruptchanges in force or direction.

From a graphical solution, the optimum values of the relationship amongR, r, S, and T (FIG. 17) are believed to be the following:

From the above, the values of r, T, and S develop as proportionalityconstants, so that, for a given radius R, these values can be readilydetermined.

The values of r, T, and S are not necessaritly restricted to the aboveproportionality constants; however, when they are changed, the outputdisplacement of the drive mechanism will also change. In order toincrease the versatility of the drive mechanism, displacement predictionformulas were developed, so as to predict hte output displacement withdiiferent values of R. r, T. and S.

The formulas used for obtaining output displacement of the drivemechanism with different combinations of values for the elements R, r,T, and S are derived in connection with the geometrical model shown inFIGS. 17 and 18, with the point Q of FIG. 17 being rotated clockwise(when viewed as being on the crank arm r) to the position shown in FIG.18. The angle [3 is the included angle between R and T. The angle a isthe included angle between r and R. The angle at is the included anglebetween R and a line P drawn from the center of rotation M to the pointQ on the end of r, and the angle -1 is the included angle between T andthe line P.

From the point Q in FIG. 18, a line b is drawn perpendicular to R at Zto produce the short segment A,

"15 which is equal to r cos a, while the line b is equal to r sin a.Referring to the triangle formed by Q, Z, and M, Equation 1 P =b (R-A)Equation 2 P =(r sin u) +(Rr cos at) Referring to the triangle formed byX, Z, and Q, Equation 3 r =A +b Equation 4 b =r A From Equation 1, P =b+(R-A) and substituting Equation 4 above in Equation 1,

Equation 5 yields: P =R -2AR+r The value of A=r cos a when substitutedin Equation 5 yields:

Substituting the value of P determined in Equation 6, and P= /P intoEquation 7 yields:

2Tx/TF-I-fl-2Rr cos (1 Similarly, substituting the value of P determinedin Equation 6, and the value of P= /P into Equation 8, yields aftersimplification:

Equation 10 cos 1 R-r cos a Referring to FIG. 17, the followingrelationships exist:

(a) R may be any value not zero.

(b) The crank arm r is greater than zero but less than R.

(c) T is equal to 2r.

((1) S is equal to \/R r (e) The output is equal to (0-B).

(f) The angle 18 is equal to (p-l-n).

The values of R, r, T, and S selected for a specific physical embodimentwould naturally be dependent upon the particular application in whichthe drive mechanism is used. In the embodiment shown in FIGS. 13 to 16inclusive, the values of R and r were selected to be one inch and .4142inch, respectively, with the values of T and S determined to be .8284inch and .91018 inch, respectively. With these values, smoothaccelerations and decelerations were obtained. While the drive mechanism300 technically has one instantaneous zero point, the mechanism has apractical or effective dwell for about thirty degrees of input rotation.

The method of securing the drive mechanism 300 to the clutch 170a (FIG.13) so as to obtain the desired dwell is as follows. The square end 304of the clutch shaft 302 is inserted into the mating recess 308 of thecarrier 310, and the carrier is rotated counter-clockwise (as viewed inFIG. 13) until an abutment stop 362 on the rotating shell 360 of theclutch 170a engages the leg 364 of the pawl 366 to stop the carrier 310.Each crank arm 342 is then positioned with respect to an imaginary linejoining the axes of the cranks 328 and 330, so that the included angletherebetween is equal to 122.4 degrees. In the geometrical model shownin FIG. 17, the included angle of the previous sentence is equal to a,which is the included angle between 1' and R. In the drive mechanism300, the crank arms 342 are positioned on opposite sides of theimaginary line previously mentioned as shown in FIG. 13. Once the anglea is set for each crank 328 and 330, the carrier 310 is pushed towardsthe clutch a, so that the gears 332 and 334 engage the teeth on the ringgear 314 and thereby operatively connect the cranks 328 and 330respectively to the fixed gear 314.

After the drive mechanism 300 is connected to the clutch 170a in thismanner, the output shaft 354 is then connected to the shaft 68 of theconveyor 26 via the connector 78 (FIG. 6), so that a card carried by thefeed belt 36 will be positioned at the reading station 24 in readingrelationship therewith. Upon command from the computer or otherutilization device with which the card read mechanism is associated, thesolenoid 376 (FIG. 13) will be energized to begin the cycle for thedrive mechanism 300, and the card will be read while at the read station24. At the completion of the read operation, the drive mechanism 300moves the feed band 36 to deliver another card at the read station 24.In general, the computer can receive the data faster than the card feedmechanism can feed the cards to the read station 24, so that thecomputer will be waiting to receive the data in the next card. If thecomputer is not ready to receive the data in the next card to be read,an abutment stop 362 (FIG. 13) on the rotating shell 360 of the clutch170a engages the leg 364 on the pawl 366 to stop the drive mechanism300, and at this time the card to be read will be positioned at the readstation 24. If the computer is ready to receive the data, the solenoid376 of the pawl 366 will be energized to clear the leg 364 from the stop362, and the rotating shell 360 of the clutch 170a will not be stoppedthereby. The dwells produced by the drive mechanism 300 will then alonebe effective to position the card to be read at the read station 24.

A third embodiment of the drive mechanism, designated generally as 400,is shown in FIGS. 19 and 20 and is similar in construction to the drivemechanism 300 shown in FIGS. 13 to 16 inclusive; however, the drivemechanism 400 is generally hypocyclic, whereas the drive mechanism 300is epicyclic.

The drive mechanism 400 includes an input shaft 40?. (FIG. 20), which isrotatably mounted in a bearing 40?, which is retained in a shoulderedbearing sleeve 406, which in turn is mounted in an opening in a circularhousing plate 408. The end 410 of the shaft 402 is square incross-section and fits into a complementary square opening in an inputcarrier 412, and a fastener (not shown; secures the carrier 412 to theshaft 402 to rotate therewith.

The output shaft 414 of the drive mechanism 400 is rotatably mounted ina bearing 416, which is mounted in a shouldered bearing sleeve 418,which in turn is mounted in an opening in a circular housing plate 420.The end portion 422 of the shaft 414 is square in cross section and fitsinto a complementary square opening in an output drive plate 424, and afastener (not shown) secures the output drive plate 424 to the shaft 414to rotate therewith.

The input shaft 402 of the drive mechanism 400 of FIG. 20 is driven by aclutch (not shown) which is identical to the clutch 170a shown in FIG.13 in connection with the second drive mechanism 300. As the input shaft402 is rotated at a constant rate, the carrier 412 is also rotated andcarries with it the cranks designated generally as 426 and 428. Thecranks 426 and 428 are identical, and their axes of rotation areequidistantly spaced from the axis of rotation of the shaft 402. Eachcrank 426 and 428 (FIGS. 19 and 20) has a shaft 430, which is rotatablymounted in bearings 432 and 434, which are secured in aligned aperturesin the input carrier 412 and the respective planar support member 436,respectively, Each support member 436 is secured to the input carrier412 and is maintained in spaced parallel relationship therewith byspacer studs 438.

Each crank 426 and 428 has a gear 440 fixed to rotate with itsrespective shaft 430, and the gear is positioned between spacer discs442, which in turn are positioned between thecarrier 412 and therespective support member 436, as shown in FIG. 20. Each gear 440 is inmesh with an internally toothed ring gear 444, which has circular spacerrings 446 and 448 (FIG. 20) (square in crosssection) positioned onopposed sides thereof. The circular housing plates 408 and 420, thespacer rings 446 and 448, and the ring gear 444 all have aligned holesspaced along their perimeters, through which screws 450 (FIG. 19) areinserted to secure the named units together and form the housing for thedrive mechanism 400. I I

The shafts 430 (FIG. 20) of the cranks 426 and 428 are each providedwith a cam shaft 452 extending from one end thereof, the. axis of whichis offset from the axis of its respective shaft 430 by a distance r (notshown), which represents the length of the crank arm for the crankmembers. The geometry of the drive mechanism 400 will be later discussedin relation to the geometrical model shown in FIG; 21. a r

. The cam shafts 452 mentioned above are operatively connected to theoutput shaft 414 as follows. Each cam shaft 452 is provided with abearing 454, which is inserted over the end thereof and abuts against aportion of the end of the shaft 430, as shown in FIG. 20. A drag link456 is provided for each crank 426 and 428, each link having in one endthereof a hole which fits over the bearing 454 of the respective cranks426 and 428. The remaining ends of the drag links 456 are pivotallysecured to the drive plate 424 by screws 458 (FIG. 19) at points whichare e'quidistantly spaced from the axis of rotation of the drive plate424 and which are positioned along a diametral line thereof. I

When the input shaft 402 of the drive mechanism 400 (FIGS. 19 and 20) isrotated at a constant rate, intermittent rotary motion is produced attheoutput shaft 414 in the same general manner as was produced by the drivemechanism 300 shown in FIGS. 13 to 16 inclusive. As the input shaft,402is rotated, the input carrier 412 also rotates counter-clockwise, asviewed in FIG,.19. While the cranks 426 and 428 are being carriedcounter-clockwise with the carrier 412, the gears 440 thereof which arein mesh with the ring gear 444 are rotated clockwise about the axis oftheir respective shafts 430, thereby rotating the cranks 426 and 428clockwise.

If the gears 440 of the cranks 426 and 428 were temporarily disconnectedfrom the ring gear 444, and if the input shaft 402 (FIG. 20) wererotated at a constant rate, then the output drive plate 424 would alsobe rotated at a constant rate by the carrier 412 and the drag links 456.However, when the gears 440 of the cranks 426 and 428 are in mesh withthe ring gear 444, as shown in FIGS. 19 and 20, the clockwise rotationof the cranks 426 and 428, as mentionedin the previous paragraph, willoppose or offset the counter-clockwise rotation imparted to the outputdrive plate 424 by the input carrier 412 and cause a dwell in the outputdrive plate 424 and the output shaft 414. As previously explained, adwell in the'output shaft such as the shaft 414 is effective to stop thefeed band 36, so that a card carried thereby will be momentarilypositioned at the reading station 24, where the data in the card will beread.

FIG. 21 represents a geometrical model of the drive mechanism 400 shownin FIGS. 19 and 20, which model was used for determining certainmathematical relationships among the various elements of the drivemechanism '400 as follows. The length R of FIG. 21 represents the lengthof the input carrier 412 (FIG. 20) as measured between the axes ofrotation of the input shaft 402 and the shaft 430 of one of the cranks426 and 428. The length r of FIG. 21 is the crank member and representsthe distance which the axis of the cam shaft 452 is offset from the axisof the shaft 430, as shown in FIG. 20. The length S of FIG. 21represents the length of a drag link 456 (FIG. 19) as measured betweenthe centers of its mounting holes on opposed ends thereof. The length Tof FIG. 21 represents the length of the output drive plate 424 (FIG. 19)as measured from its axis of rotation to the axis of the screw 458,which pivotally secures the last-named drag link 456 to the drive plate424. The INPUT to the geometrical model rotates R'counter-clockwise, asviewed in FIG. 21, and for an input angle of 0, the OUTPUT will berotated counter-clockwise for an angle of [3. Both R and T are rotatedabout 0 (FIG. 21), and r is rotated clockwise about Q from the positionshown in FIG. 21 as R is rotated counter-clockwise. One end of the linksis pivotally joined to one end of r, and the other end of the link S ispivotally joined to one end of T, as shown in FIG. 21.

To simplify'the construction, the means for rotating about point Q on R(FIG. 21) are not shown; however, in the drive mechanism 400 (FIGS. 19"to 20) these means primarily include the ring gear 444 and the gears440 of the cranks 426 and 428, which are carried on the input carrier412."The number of cycles per input revolution in the drive mechanism400 is dependent upon the number ofteeth in the gears 400 relative tothe number of teeth in the ring gear 444.

In the geometrical model (FIG. 21), N equals the number of cycles perinput revolution; also, R is greater than r, which is greater than zero.As a practical relationship, r should be less than R/N.

From the geometry of the model of FIG. 21,

Equation 11 and Equation 12 y=R cos 0+r cos a Given an input rotation of0 and an output of B and from fi= -x; the following values for x and pof FIG. 21 can be determined from the following equations:

x=R sin 6r sin a The Equations 11 to 14 inclusive mentioned previouslycan be used for either epicyclic-type crank members, as shown in thedrive mechanism 300, or hypocyclic-type crank members, as shown in thedrive mechanism 400. These equations are especially adaptable forcomputer programming to determine output rotation, velocity,acceleration, and torque on the output shaft of the drive mechanisms 300and 400 with respect to a given input rotation 0.

The drive mechanism 400 may be connected to the clutch a shown in FIG.13 by the technique previously discussed in relation to the drivemechanism 300.

What is claimed is:

1. A mechanism for producing intermittent motion comprising:

frame means;

input means having constant rotation and being rotatably mounted in saidframe means;

output means rotatably mounted in said frame means;

first connecting means to operatively connect said input means with saidoutput means so as to supply a constant rotational motion to said outputmeans, and including crank means;

and second connecting means to operatively connect said crank means withsaid input means to thereby rotate said crank means;

rotary '19 said crank means, when rotated, being effective to alter themotion of said first connecting means so as to produce zero velocity atsaid output means relative to said input means at least once for apredetermined rotation of said input means; said second connecting meansincluding belt means. 2. A mechanism for producing intermittent rotarymotion comprising:

frame means; input means having constant rotation and being rotatablymounted in said frame means; output means rotatably mounted in saidframe means; first connecting means to operatively connect said inputmeans with said output means so as to supply a constant rotationalmotion to said output means, and including crank means; and secondconnecting means to operatively. connect said crank means with saidinput means to thereby rotate said crank means; said crank means, whenrotated, being effective to alter the motion of said first connectingmeans so as to produce zero velocity at said output means relative tosaid input means at least once for a predetermined rotation of saidinput means; said first connecting means including belt means, and saidcrank means comprising two crank members with each said crank memberhaving an axis of rotation which is equidistantly spaced from the axisof rotation of said input means and said output means. 3. The mechanismas claimed in claim 2 in which said crank members are operativelyconnected to said belt means so as to be rotated at the same angularvelocity and displacement relative to a line joining the axes of IO-tation of said crank members.

4. A mechanism for producing intermittent rotary motion comprising:frame means; input means having constant rotation and being rotatablymounted in said frame means; output means rotatably mounted in saidframe means; first connecting means to operatively connect said inputmeans with said output means so as to supply a constant rotationalmotion to said output means, and including crank means; and secondconnecting means to operatively connect said crank means with said inputmeans to thereby rotate said crank means; said crank means, whenrotated, being effective to alter the motion of said first connectingmeans so as to produce zero velocity at said output means relative tosaid input means at least once for a predetermined rotation of saidinput means; said input means having constant rotation comprising firstand second input members rotatably mounted in said frame means and fixedto rotate together on a common axis; said output means comprising ashaft rotatably mounted in said frame means and having an axis ofrotation spaced from and parallel to said common axis, and an outputmember fixed to rotate with said shaft; said crank means of said firstconnecting means comprising first and second crank members rotatablymounted in said frame means with each crank member having an axis ofrotation which is equidistantly spaced from said common axis and saidaxis of said shaft of said output means; each said crank member having acrank shaft eccentrically positioned thereon and a rotatable memberrotatably mounted on said crank shaft; said first connecting meansfurther comprising first belt means operatively connecting said inputmember, said rotatable members of said first and second crank members,and said output member to form a closed loop therearound; said secondconnecting means comprising second belt '20 means operatively connectingsaid second input member with said first and second crank members so asto rotate said crank'members in timed relation with said first inputmember. 5. A mechanism for producing intermittent rotary'motioncomprising:

frame means; input means having constant'rotationand being rotatablymounted in said frame means; output means rotatably mounted in saidframe means; first connecting means to operatively connect said inputmeans with'said output means so as to supplya-constant rotational motionto said output means, and including crank means; and'second connectingmeans to operatively connect said crank means with said input means tothereby rotate said crank means; i said crank means, when rotated, beingeffective to alter the motion of said first connecting means so as toproduce zero velocity at said outputrne'ans relative to said input meansat least once for a predetermined rotation of said input means; saidfirst connecting means comprising a carrier means fixed to said inputmeans to be rotated thereby and link means operatively connecting saidcarrier means with said output means and including said crank meansrotatably mounted on said carrier means. 6. A mechanism for producingintermittent rotary motion comprising:

frame means; constant rotational input shaft means, and output shaftmeans rotatably mounted in said frame means; first connecting means toconnect said input shaft means with said output shaft means so as tosupply a constant rotational motion to said output shaft means andcomprising:

carrier means secured to said input shaft means to be rotated thereby,link connecting means operatively connecting said carrier means withsaid output shaft means so as to rotate the latter at a constant speedand including crank means rotatably mounted on said carrier means,second connecting means operatively connecting said crank means withsaid input shaft means and comprising:

a stationary gear fixed to said frame means and having the axis thereofconcentric with the axis of said input shaft means, 7 gear means carriedby said carrier means and operatively connected to said crank means soas to rotate said crank means as said carrier means is rotated relativeto said stationary gear, said second connecting means being effective toalter the motion of said link connecting means so as to produce zerovelocity at said output shaft means relative to said input shaft meansat least once for a predetermined rotation of said input shaft means. 7.The mechanism as claimed in claim 6 in whichsaid input shaft means andoutput shaft means are axially aligned in said frame means.

8. The mechanism as claimed in claim 6 in which the gear means carriedby said carrier means and said stationary gear form an epicyclicconnection; said stationary gear having external teeth operativelyconnected to said gear means.

9. The mechanism as claimed in claim 6 in which the gear means carriedby said carrier means and said stationary gear form a hypocyclicconnection; said stationary gear having internal teeth operativelyconnected to said gear means.

10. A mechanism for producing intermittent rotary motion comprising:

frame means,

